Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1887-11-27
TRAVELS OF CHOLERA.
India the Country Where
the ScOrge Originates.
TIMELY WORDS OF WARNING.
How and Where the Plague Starts,
and the Manner in Which the
Disease Spreads Westward.

The detention of the Italian line
steamships Alesia and Britannia at
quarantine in New York harbor marks
the introduction of Asidtic cholera
into this country again. 1t is proba-
BILE that the disease will not escape
the Gordon of preventive measures
thrown around it, as past experience
has served the health officers well,
and they are prepared to cope with
the insidious malady undetected by
the cowardice which once prevented
bold attack. They are also aided by
the discoveries of medical men who
in this day can give those suffering
from an attack OF cholera such intelIi-
gent treatment, as in many instances
rescues them from what vas once con-
sidered ce tain death. Even in the
severest cases, where the patient has
been neglected until he has reached
the last stages of collapse, the doc
tors claim that by intelligent treat
ment from 5to 20 per cent. of those at
tackled can be brought back to health.
In the present instance, Ms i'll all
others. the cholera is brought into this
country from tn. East. In no case
has the disease been carried eastward
across the Pacific ocean. This is be-
cause the streams of travel pour tn ir
greatest volume westward from Hin
doostan, where the cholera always
originates, through Pc sid into Europe,
then acr, IS the Atlantic to America.
OF course the disease moves eastward
from It's source into China, but until
within comparatively recent period
the intercourse between, that section of
the globe and this country has been
slight. The constantly increasing com
merce of the United States with China
and Japan will. however, sooner or
later, ee,ve to bring the pestlence
from those Empires to California.
The history of the disea dates
back to before the time of Christ.
Hippocrates, 400 B. c., speaks Of The
introduction OF cholera into Greece at
that time. Other ancient writers give
evi ence of the prevalence OF the
plague in their times. The scourge
always originates in Asia, o be more
particular, in that part OF the British
possessions known as India or Hin
dostan. the banks OF the sacred Riv.r
Ganges being its native habitat. Hin
dostan is the great central peninsula
of Southern Asia, and it teens with ii
native population of almost in redible
numbers. vi these natives the British
census reports say that about lao, tO0,-
900, or noie than 70 per cent of the
entire p pulation, embrace the Hin
doc religion ,r Brahmanism. Thee
Brahlnans hold every year at
Hurdwar ("Gate OF Vishnu." or
"Gate Of the Gang s'l their religious
festivals. The town is mparalively
a small one, but at the spring. equl-
uox the largest fan in India j. held
there. This is attended annually by
from 200 900 to 100000 persons.
More assemble there every third
year; It'll mole every sixth and
ninth Years and fully 100000 as
senlb every twelfth year; and Il
vaster number every siXtieth year.
1t ia when these vast herds OF people
gather, ignorant OF all hygienic laws
that the cholera breaks out despite
the precautions taken by the author
tiles, and the streams, OF returning
pilgrims carry the disease in every
direction TO their homes. AT the
great khoomh or du0decennial festi-
val at Hurdwar in 1879, was assert
ed that OF 80, 900 persons who went to
the fair from single district Of
Kumaon one-four,h were missing,
showing the terrible mortality which
prevails.
The year 1850 marked the recogni-
ton of the periodically recurring
twelve yearly epIdenics connected
with these gatherings OF the natives
of India. History shows that the
scourge became prevalent again in
1868, 1871 and 1888, 1917 and 1919,
1929 and 1881. 1871 and 1913, 1858
and 1850, 1868 and 1867, and then
prevailed more or less at intervals up
to 1879, hen the terrible result just
spoken of follow ed. The minor fest-
val served 10 e nerate the disease in
the dates mentioned within the twelve
wear cycle-. The festivals at the [. M
Pile OF Juggernaut and other centers OF
the religious rites also serve as start
ing points + the death-dcaling epi-
denies. When the British were sub
DUNG India their armies suffered ter
rib, from these pesilences Every
sue, essive e, idenic Of cholera has al
wa>s been carried up the Persian Gulf
from Bombay and OF er ports on the
western coast of India, and thus
reached the Mediterranean Sea and
European countries.
IT. $50, however, the cholera trav-
eied over land from HurdWar, by the
great northwest Caravan route to Bob
kara, thence to Orenburg, in Prussia (;
also eastward to Herat and Teherar.
thence across the Caspian sea to
Astrak than, in Russia. From Oren-
burg the disease progressed w'st to
Moscow overland; and from Astrak-
han it went up the river Nolga to the
same point-the two streams uniting
there. From Moscow the disease was
carried to Riga, on the Baltic, and by
the English vessels from that point to
Newcastle. Russian troops also took
the disease to Warsaw, where 1t was
conveyed due west to Berlin, thence to
Hamburg, and finally to London.
After The pestilence had ragged with
fury in the British islam is it was car
ried by Irish emigrant ships to Que
bee in the spring OF 1882 From there
the disease progressed up the st. Law
renee, through the or at lakes 10 Buf-
fallo, Detroit, and finally to Chicago.
July TO- 1882, the steamer Sheldon
Thompson ar ived off Chicago from
Buffalo with G neral Scott, his staff
and four companies OFT oops on board.
The boat also had the A Satic scourge
on board. Two days later the village
was virtually depopulated, as the peo-
pie fled from their homes to avoid
the contagion. General Scott woul
make 10 Vance on the Indians,
and Fort Dearborn was a hospital.
July 18th the steamer William Penn
Iat. l.